


A Round on the Vice Admiral

by VampirePaladin



Category: The Orville (TV)
Genre: Cadets, Finals, First Meetings, Gen, Pre-Canon, Union Point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 09:37:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16972164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/pseuds/VampirePaladin
Summary: It's finals at Union Point and Ed is going with Gordon to their favorite bar to wait for their scores.





	A Round on the Vice Admiral

**Author's Note:**

  * For [meridian_rose (meridianrose)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/gifts).



“It’s not going to be that bad,” Ed reassured Gordon with a hand on his shoulder. They were walking down the street, away from the shuttle drop off point and towards _The Flan_ , their favorite bar to visit near Union Point.

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re just going to end up being the top of your class again,” Gordon said as he kicked a stone on the sidewalk, watching it skittering off before it disappeared into a bush.

“No, it isn’t easy for me. I study my ass off to get those scores. But you really buckled down and studied hard in the last few weeks,” Ed said. 

The two stepped into _The Flan_ , which was already filled with students and instructors from the academy. The Gelatin owner was manning the bar himself and was quickly filling the orders of everyone. Each group had their communicators out as they waited for their scores to be made visible. 

Ed and Gordon found a small round table open in a back corner, up on a raised portion of the floor, next to a retro poster advertising the award-winning classic _Fear the Fearless_ , truly the best movie to be released during the twenty-second century on Earth.

“Send a pitcher over,” Gordon called out to the bartender.

“You got it.”

Ed pulled out his communicator and set it on the table, he had brought up the academy’s site where the scores would be posted. There was no indication what exact time they were going to be revealed, but there had been a notice that morning that it was going to be today, and they always were posted sometime after 1800. 

The bartender slid across the floor, a tray on top of his head. When he reached their table he stretched his body out and then a gelatinous appendage emerged from his body to put the pitcher of beer and two beer glasses on the table between them.

“Thanks, Bhides,” Ed said.

“No problem, guys. Hey, good luck on your scores.”

Both Ed and Gordon murmured their appreciation of Bhides’ well wishes. It was as Ed’s eyes were watching him that he happened to catch a glimpse of someone. Training his eyes past Bhides, Ed caught sight of another cadet. She was beautiful as she threw her hair back and laughed with the other cadets at her table.

“Gordon, who is that?” Ed asked. 

“The bald guy with the British accent? I think he’s some captain from France,” Gordon said as he was pouring his glass full of amber colored beer.

“No, not Captain Stewart,” Ed said. Captain Stewart was one of Ed’s favorite instructors. He taught Interplanetary Ethics. “The woman at the next table over.”

“Oh, her. That’s Kelly Grayson. She’s the one that pushed Professor Fincher into a pool.” Gordon said, now filling the glass of the distracted Ed.

“She’s the one that pushed the Finch?” Ed asked. There was an awe in his voice. Professor Fincher was well known for the stories he made up about his escapades with female cadets. The only reason he hadn’t been fired was because none of them were true, and even that was starting to wear thin.

“Yeah, that’s what I just said.”

The bar erupted in cheering. The grades had been revealed and people were shouting, cheering. Hugs were being shared freely. The quiet ones with slumped shoulders were the ones that had done poorly, and they weren’t forgotten as their friends bought them drinks and offered words of encouragement that it wasn’t the end of the world.

“I passed! Ed, I passed!” Gordon cried out.

Ed’s attention immediately went back to Gordon. “I told you!” Ed said. He picked up his glass “To Gordon and his ability to study when he needs to.”

“Not so loudly, you’ll ruin my reputation,” Gordon joked with a smile as the two clinked glasses together and started to drink.

The pitcher didn’t last very long between the two of them and soon they were in desperate need of more beer.

“I’ll get a refill. My treat,” Ed said as he grabbed the pitcher. He walked down the two steps to the bar and set the pitcher on the counter. “A refill when you get a chance,” he called out to the busy Gelatin.

He turned his gaze to the side as a woman stepped up next to him. It was Kelly Grayson. Ed gave her a nervous smile, that she returned as she had her own pitcher at the bar to be refilled.

“So, did you pass your exams?” Ed asked.

“Yes. I was a little worried about Interplanetary Law, but I did better than I thought I would,” she said.

Bhides had slithered over to the two of them, stretching up to grab the pitchers. He refilled them both with beer and returned it to the two of them.

There was an awkward smile exchanged between Ed and Kelly. He took his pitcher in hand and started back towards the table, but he didn’t lift his leg high enough and his foot caught on the edge of the step. Ed went falling forward and the pitcher went flying. Ed’s hands went out ahead of him and caught himself.

The silence all around told him something was wrong before he tilted his head up.

Standing before him was Vice Admiral Scotts. Beer soaked into his uniform and the pitcher was at his feet. The Admiral was glowing with anger.

“Do you have anything you want to say, _cadet_?”

Ed looked up at him. His mind didn’t work right. There was nothing there. No, that wasn’t true. There was one thing in there. He knew it wasn’t the right solution, but it came to his lips without him wanting to. He felt like he was watching a horror movie and begging the hero not to do it.

“Do you want pretzels with your beer, sir?”

The Admiral’s face contorted through a wide range of expressions, looking more like a caricature of a cartoon character than a well-respected and highly decorated admiral.

“Cadet Mercer. My office. Tomorrow. 0800,” Vice Admiral Scotts sputtered out before turning on his heel and leaving the bar, his face redder that an Obovian spore.

Once the door swung shut behind the admiral the sounds of he bar resumed, a bit louder as people laughed and joked about what had just happened.

“Hey,” Kelly said as she held a hand out to Ed to help up to his feet.

Ed took her hand and let her help him back up, brushing the dirt off the palms of his hands. “Thanks.”

Kelly gave a little chuckle, “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard another cadet say to, well, anybody.”

“It was the only thing I could think of,” Ed admitted.

“Come on, let me buy you another pitcher,” Kelly said.


End file.
